Armoring cable.



H. R. GILSON. ABMOBING GABLE. APrLIoATIoN FILED un 12. 1910.

Patented (M5113, 1911.

l SHEETS-SHEET 1.

1V ENTOH C@ WITN ESS E8:

H. R. GILSON. AEMOBING CABLE.

nPmornoxf mam un 12, 1910.

4 BHBETHH H. R. GILSON.

ARMORING CABLE.

APPLICATION FILED un 12, 1010.

Patelltd 0G13. 3, `1911.

4 sanB'ra-snnx'r a.

H. R. GILSON.

ARMOBING CABLE.

unieuro! funn n! 12, 1910.

H. RNE, L1 @Sq- 1 411.11111 UN uw STATE..

OFFICE.

HENRY R. GILSON, F FAIR OAKS, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR T0 NATIONAL METAL HOLDING COMPANY. 0F PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF PENN- SYLVANIA.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented oct. s, 1911.

Application filed May 12, 1910. Serial No. v560,858.

Tb all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY R. GILsoN, residing at Fair Oaks, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, a citizen of the United States, have invented or dis-y covered certain new -and useful Improve- .ments in Armoring Cable, of which improvements the following is a specification.

lThe invention consists in an improved Ihethod of formin upon electric cables an armoncomposed o a metallic strip or strips Wound helically thereon, in auch manner 'that the armored cable shall bo flexible.

The method may also be employed, as will he apparent to those skilled in the art, for the manufacture of flexible metallic tubing, either with or without an inner flexible core.

Various forms of mechanism may be emloyed for practicing the said invention, lint4 for purposes of description there is illustrated in the accompanying drawings an organized machine suitable for that purpose. This machine is shown as adapted for the formation and application to a cable of other or outer strips, 2, 2, are applied upon.

said inner stri s 1n reverse position, that is t0 s., with their anged edges turned in` Wardly, and .the respective {ianges of each outer strip bearing upon the body `and between the ianofes of adjacent inner strips, so that the lbody of each outer strip will bridge the adjacent flanges of adjacent "inner strips. By this construction the said inner and outer strips will he held in proper relation, the one by the other, while at the same time the coils will have a limited range of move'rnent relatively to each other, in order to give to the completed structure the desirulfflexibility. It is also preferred to employ a filling strip 3, which may be of any ysuit'fxble compressible material, suoli as paper, in the. channel between the flanged edges of each of the inner strips, and upon which the flanged edges of the outer strips will bear.

In the said accompanying drawings F igure 1 a side elevation of the machine. Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation, on a larger scale, of the soiling-frame and mandrelshaft, oniitting the reels which carry the strips to be coiled. Fig. 3 is a View in ap- 'n'oximately full size, showing the mandrel 1n elevation, and the strips in section as applied to the cable. Fig. 4 is a plan view of the machine. Fig. 5 is an end elevation of the parts at the left of the rolls 35, Fig.

1, lookingr in the direction ot' the arrow n. Fig. 6 is an end `elevation of the rolls 35, looking in the opposite direction. Fig. 'T shows in plan and in elevation a portion ol'i the rim of one of the take-off' wheels. Fig. 8 is a view in perspective of the two halves of one of the guides for the strips.

U pon the rear end of the base 4 is bolted or otherwise secured the standard 5, at the top of which is formed the bearing block (l,

and beneath the block G a second bearingblock 7. Fastened in the block 6 and projet-.ting inwardly therefrom is a fixed hollow bearing-shaft 8, upon the projecting portion of which is mounted tli'e rotating sleeve 9 which carries the ceiling-frame to be hereinafter described. In the lower block 7 is mounted the main driving-shaft 10, having atits outer end the fast and loose pulleys 11 and 12 for a driving-belt connected to any suitable source of power. To the inner end of shaft 10 is fastened the pinion 13, which is in mesh with and drives the pinion 1 fastened to the sleeve 9.

Within the bearing-shaft 8 at its opposite ends are the bushings 1 5, which serve as bearings for the rotating mandrel-shaft 16. To the outer or 'rear end of the mandrelshaft is fastened the sprocket-wheel 17, connected by chain 1S with the sprocket wheel l!) fastened on the driving-shaft 10. The sprocket-Wheels 17 and V1*.) are shown as of substantially the same diameter, so that the mandrel-shaft 16 will be rotated in thesame direction and at substantially the same speed as the shaft 10. On the other hand, the pinion 13 on shaft 10, which meshes directly with pinion 14 on sleeve 9, is shown as 01 lesss diameter than said pinion. 14, so that the sleeve 9 will be rotated in the direction opposite to that of the rotation ofthe mandrel-Shaft 16, and at a lower speed.

The mandrel-Shaft; 1G is shown as provided, at a point adjacent to the outer end of block with a.. grooved disk 20, and the end of a linger or lip 21, fastened to the block 6, projects into the groove in said'dislr, in order to more firmly se'eure the mandrelshaft against any longitudinal movement. The sleeve 9 is also Shown provided, adjacent to the opposite end of block G, with a similar annular L roove 22, into which projects the end ofV t. ie linger or lip 23 secured to that. end of block 6, in order to more firmly secure the said sleeve 9, and parts earried thereby, against longitudinal movement.

The mandrel 2-1 is fastened to the front or inner end of the mandrel-shaft 16, and projects heyond the fixed shaft 8 and hashing 15 at that end. Since this machine is shown as used for forming the flexible metallic tubing directly upon, and thus armoring', a cable, conductor or core, the mandrel-shaft and mandrel are hollow. in order to'permit the unarmored cable or core to pass through their bore.

The strip-hearing surface of the mandrel 24 is slightly tapered, and has formed thereon a helical shoulder or shoulders. Tn the drawings therel are shown two of such shoulders, formed by a pair of parallel helical grooves Q5 and 26 ruiming throughout the vlength of the said healing-siu'face of the mandrel. l-lowex'er in a machine of this class, a. single shoulder will in many eases he sutiieient, and it need notI necessarily run the entire length of the said bearing-surface.

The metallic strips to he coiled, which have preferably been previously vflanged alongr their edges to gire them the form shown, are carried upon and drawn from reels carried by the rotating: sleeve 9. In this inarliine, the two inner stripsl, 1,'are

carried upon reels 2T, rotatahly mounted in trames 28. senred to arur- 29. 4which project radially from the sleeve 9 at. diametrically opposite points. Reels 27'* for the two outer strips 2, 2, are similarly mounted in trames 95%. secured to the arms 29". projecting: from the sleeve t) between and at equal distances from thel arms 9.9. 'lhe reels are mounted on journals 30, 30", removably se cut-ed in thel respective 'Frames' in the man'- ner shown in Fig. 4. Reels 31 for the two lining or filling strips 5l, 3, are carried hy arms 32 fastened to t-he arms Q9 adjacent. to the reels 2 for the inner strips.

Upon the inner end of the sleeve 9 is fastened the eoiling-head 33. in which are mounted the guides 34, 34, for the strips, so

arranged about the mandrel as to direct the strips forwardly tangentially upon the mandrel surface as shown in F ig. 5. Ttic guides are in'elined forwardly aty an angle to the axial li'ne ot the mandrel corresponding to the angle ot pitch to be given to the coiled strips, and the reels and their respective guides are so arranged that the strips will pass from the reels 4to the mandrel in approximately straight lilies, as shown in Figs. 1 and et. The guides 34 for the inner strips are disposed oppositely toeach other, so as to direct the said strips to and upon the mandrel surface at diametrically opposite points adjacent to its hase. The guides 34 for the outer strips are also oppositely disposed in the head at distances of ninety de- I.crees 'from the -guides 34, but-at a distance forward over the mandrel required by the pitch to he given to the coiled Strips, in order that the outer strips may he continuously coiled upon the coiled inner strips in the manner hereinlnfore described. The filling strips 3. 3. are caused to enter the guides 34 for the inner metallic strips 1, 1, together with and between. .the flanged edges of the latter, as shown-in Fig. 5. The sleeve 9, with the arms, reels and ceiling-head earried thereby together make up what has heen hereinhetorc termed the ceiling-frame.

T he .helical grooves on the 'mandrel run in the direction opposite to that of its rotation, and the shoulders or ahutmentsformed by the rear walls of the grooves are, by rea.- son of the slight taper of the mandrel, enahled to'ahut against the rear edges yot the coiled upon the mandrel surface. Since the,A

mandrel is rotated in the direction opposite to that of the rotation of the ceiling-frame and head, and at .a higher rate than the latter, the said helical shoulders act to continuously push the formed' coils forwardl alongr the tapered surface of the mandrel, thereby continuously drawing the stri s from the reels. During this operation t e reverse tension of the ceiling-frame upon the'strips draws thel coils closely u'on the tapering surface of the mandrel as t ey are fed forward, and -thence from the tip of the mandrel down upon Athe surface of the cable, as shown in Fig. 3, so-that the coils frictionally grip the surface of the cable and t rawthe latter continuously forward as the sa id coils are themselves continuously pushed forward.

rlhe speed of rotation of the mandrel should he sulieiently'liigherthan that of the l insv the coils frame and head, each of the grooves on the mandrel being one-eighth of an inch wide and encircling the mandrel twice to the inch. It is obvious that the helical abutment or abutments need not run the full length of the bearing-surface of the mandrel, and that they may be formed otherwise Vthan by grooving the mandrel, but the construction shown is believed to be most effective. The employment of two abutments is also not essential, more particularly if a two-strip, instead of a four-strip, armor is to be formed. But it' a single abutment only were used in forming the armored cable herein shown and described, it would be necessary to rotate the mandrel at substantially double the speed, thus greatly increasing the friction and the heat thereby generated.

Adjacent to the end of mandrel 24 are mounted the sizing-rolls 35, the peri heries of which are grooved, as shown, to orm a passfi between them of the desired size of the finished armored cabled or tubin These sizing-rolls are mounted in suitabl bearings 37, supported in the opposite frames 38 mounted upon standards 39. By its passage through these sizing-rolls the cable is made of uniform diameter throughout its len h, and the impart to the metal'of the coi s a firm an permanent set. The backward pull of the coiling-head upon the strips takes up the slight slack caused by the'sizing and compression of the coils.

As it issues from the pass 36 the finished cable or tube is given an abrupt` bend, at approximately right-angles 'to its line of movement, by drawing or directin it downwardly over the periphery .ofthe ower sizing-roll. This bending of the product causes to bind against each other beneath the bend and at once relieves any. torsional strain which may have been imparted to it by the formation 0f the coils, and will revent i'ts twisting or kinking. The pro uct may, if desired, be passed directly from the sizing-rolls to a suitable winding-reel, but

in the machine shown a take-off mechanism is employed, to exert an even drawing tension upon the product and-'feed it evenly to the winding-reel, not shown. Thls takeoil' mechanism consists of a. pair of driven wheels 40 and 41, arranged in tandem, having shafts 42 and43 respectively, mounted in suitable bearings in the standards 44, 44, and 45, 45. These wheels are xdriven by means of a worm 46 on the longitudinal shaft 47,` mounted in suitableA bearings at base of the machine. At-

shat47 isa one side of the sprocket-wheel 48, ,which is omnted by a chain 49 with a sprocket-M il an the main driving-shaft 10. The` whos with and drives the worm u n l stub-shaft 52, mounted in' 'l in was adjacent standard 44, said shaft 52 also having the inion 53 beneath and meshing with the pinion 54 on the end of shaft 42. A

corresponding pinion 55 on the end of shaft 43 is connected to and driven by the pinion 54 through the intermediate pinions-56 and 57 on stub-shafts projecting from bearings formed in the bar 58, which is fastened at its opposite ends to the standards 44 and 45 at the same side of the machine. The operating connections are so arranged that the wheels 40 and 41 will be driven at the same speed, which will be such as `t0 take up the product asA fast as it is formed` The wheels are provided with roughened peripheral surfaces by means' of the teeth 59, Fig. 7, in order to prevent the product from .sli ping. Marglnal abutments 60 are provi ed to retain the product on the wheels. After the product has passed around the take-ott' wheels, it may go to a windingreel, not shown, which may be of any suitable form.

In the practice of the inventionby the use of the machine shown and described, the cable 61 t0 be armored is drawn from a reel, not shown, and is led through the hollow bore of the mandrel-shaft and mandrel. The metal stri s and lining' strips are then led through tiieir respective guides in the head 33, as already explained. A few coils may then be applied to the cable .by hand, and secured thereto. The machine may then be started, and the product led through the pass between the sizing-rolls and around the take-oit' wheels, in the manner described, and its end secured to the winding-reel. Thereafter the manufacture will proceed as. already described.

As will be apparent to those skilled in the art, this method may be employed for the manufacture of iexible armored cable or tubing from one, two or any desired number of metallic stri s, and various mechanism may be devise or 'adapted to the practice thereof. y

No claim is made herein to theV 4-strip armored cable or tubing,or to the machine herein described, since these inventions respectli'gly constitute 'the subject-matter of other applications forLette'rs Patent filed by me, Serial No. 513,666 and Serial No.

I claim 1. 'Ilhel. method of armorin consists'in ceiling about an continuously drawin down into bindin engagement with t efsurface of the ca le a s irally lwound i'netallic armor, and thereby eedi'g the coils and cable continuously forward.

2. IrIlhe method of armorin cable, which consists in' coiling about an continuously .drawing down into bindin engagement with the surface of the ca' le a spirally herein as my invention:

cable, which Wound metallic armor, thereby feeding the against each other, thereby neutralizing the 10 coils and cable oontinuousl forward, and torsional strain induced by the ceiling. then compressing and fm't er setting the In testimony whereof I have hereunto set coils. f bl l my hand.

3. The method 0 armorin on e,whic1 f T oonssls in eoiling upon a cngble a spirally HLNRX 'R' (IILSOB' Wound metallic armor, and then abruptly Witnesses: boudin f Lhe armored cable and causing por- ALICE A. TRILL, l tions o adjacent Coils to momentarily bind MARSHALL A. CHRISTY. 

